


I Spy a Game of Murder

by PaladinoFandoms



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, ML Secret Santa, adrien slowly realizes oh shoot he likes mari, and other side characters too of course but they're more minor, ms bustier is the all-powerful overlord, the kids play murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2017-12-20
Packaged: 2019-02-17 07:38:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13072245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaladinoFandoms/pseuds/PaladinoFandoms
Summary: While studying wars and espionage, Madame Bustier challenges the class to a game of Murder - with a twist. This is a game of Murder without  restrictions, a free-for-all to see who can ‘kill’ the most. Adrien isn't scared. He's been Chat Noir for what, three years now? He's got this.But then Madame Bustier drops in a caveat- they must also learn some things about an opponent of their choice. After all, that’s the other half of spywork, right? And who better to learn about, Adrien thinks, than Marinette?





	I Spy a Game of Murder

**Author's Note:**

> This is my ML Secret Santa gift for tourmei!! If you're reading this, I hope you enjoy <3

 

The day Adrien gets himself into a game of Murder (at his teacher’s instruction, no less) starts out as a normal day. He walks with Nino into the classroom, cheerful and upbeat, but falters when he sees the lights turned off and the room almost empty. In the dim light, he can just barely make out the forms of Alya and Marinette standing by the teacher’s desk. Upon a closer look, they’re huddled around a piece of paper.

“Alya, Marinette,” Adrien greets them, confused.

The two turn to face him, the former grinning at him while the latter jumps in surprise and waves just the slightest bit too quickly.

“Madame left us a clue,” Alya proclaims, already back to looking at the paper.

“You could start with ‘hello, Adrien and Nino’,” Marinette prompts her friend dryly. When she receives no response, she rolls her eyes, blushing. “Sorry about that,” Marinette apologizes. “Alya’s really excited about our espionage unit. You know that ‘surprise’ Bustier mentioned? So apparently, we’re having class in another room, and this is a clue to tell us which room we're going to be in.”

“May I see?” Adrien asks.

Marinette slides over to give him some space. Adrien walks over to take a look, unaware of the way Alya and Nino move to deliberately box him in next to Marinette. He quickly scans the clue, which is a series of dots and dashes.

“Morse code!” Adrien exclaims, reading over the note again more slowly.

“Well, yes, that much is obvious,” Alya says, “but it's taking a while to translate it.”

Alya continues to stare at the message, pausing briefly to consult her phone, wrinkle her nose, and scribble something down on a piece of paper.

“I got this,” Adrien reassures her, mentally digging up some memories. “I learned Morse code before I came to public school, so I can translate this easily enough.”

“Well, damn,” he hears Nino mutter.

He has to admit it feels good to be praised, even for such a small feat.

“Thanks,” Adrien preens, posing for a few seconds and winking playfully at the three before going back to the message.

Marinette's blush escapes notice in the dark room, as does Alya’s smirk and Nino’s wry smile. After another minute, a few more students walk in - just in time for Adrien to shout triumphantly.

“You solved Bustier’s surprise?” Alix asks, leaning against the doorway.

“Yup!” Adrien confirms, flashing her, Kim, and Max a grin. “Morse code; Madame wants us to go to the library today.”

“Thanks, Agreste,” Alix yells, and dashes down the hall, Kim hot on her heels.

Adrien and his friends follow Alix, albeit at a much slower pace.

“I wonder why we're having class in the library,” Nino voices.

“The reason itself is irrelevant,” Alya dismisses, practically wriggling with energy. “This is exciting!”

The rest of the walk is filled with good-natured banter between Nino and Alya, leaving Adrien and Marinette to talk.

“So,” Adrien says, offering Marinette an arm.

“Eloquent,” Marinette snorts, a brief flush appearing on her cheeks as she takes it. “Does the great Adrien Agreste start all of his conversations like this?”

Adrien bristles, placing a hand on his chest in mock offense.

“I'll have you know he is the most eloquent,” he defends. “His Majesty is quite offended at your words. Shall he go, ‘off with your head’?”

Marinette stifles a laugh but grins openly at him. Adrien is glad she's more comfortable around him now. She no longer stutters around him (save for once in a blue moon, but it's a huge improvement) and they've managed to forge a pretty strong friendship. Not as strong as hers with Alya, of course, but enough for him to feel comfortable showing off a side more like Chat Noir.

“Welcome,” Madame Bustier greets as they enter the library. “Take a seat.”

It takes a few more minutes for the whole class to arrive. They settle into a seating pattern similar to their normal one.

“As all of you should know, we are starting our espionage unit. And we will begin with…” she pauses dramatically, the whole room silent for a heartbeat, “a game of Murder.”

The class erupts into chatter, and Adrien shoots an excited grin at Nino. He's never had a chance to play the game before, but he has heard of it, and it sounds like fun.

Madame Bustier lets the class talk for a few more seconds, watching them with an amused grin, before silencing them with a sharp rap on a table.

“Now, this isn't your normal game,” she continues. “Instead of receiving a target, this game will be a ‘free for all’. You have one simple goal: be the last one alive. It doesn’t matter if you kill many or kill few. You will be assigned a color, and if you put that color on someone’s hands, chest, back, neck, or face, it counts as a kill.”

The information sinks into Adrien like waves of excitement, until he's shivering with glee. He listens to his teacher list a few more rules concerning safety (no projectiles aimed at the neck or face, war grounds include school and public areas only, safe spaces include student homes, bathrooms, and changing rooms, et cetera) before she comes around with a bag of markers.

“Choose wisely,” Madame Bustier warns with a glimmer in her eyes. “Some colors are easier to find and attack with.”

Adrien pulls out a neon green marker, almost blindingly bright. Next to him, Nino picks out a shade of blue similar to his shirt. After Madame Bustier has gone around to everyone, she writes down the chosen colors on a board.

Adrien- dark/bright green  
Nino- dark blue  
Marinette- red  
Alya- dark orange  
Mylene- light brown  
Ivan- gray  
Rose- pink  
Juleka- dark purple  
Alix- light blue  
Kim- brown  
Max- light green  
Nathanael- turquoise  
Chloé- yellow  
Sabrina- light orange

“These are the color assignments. As people die, their names will be crossed out. We will not have class while this game is in progress.” Madame Bustier stops to survey the class, eyes glimmering. “But there’s one more thing- you’ll have to learn some facts about another opponent, since that’s what spies also do. Are you ready?”

“Yes!” A resounding chorus of affirmation echoes in the library.

“The game lasts for three days, and starts… now!”

Some students immediately rush out of the room, faces tense and wary, but Marinette taps Adrien on the shoulder before he can move. She leans over the library table to talk and both Alya and Nino put their heads in, too.

“Truce?” Marinette asks.

“Only until the final four or five people,” Alya negotiates.

“Deal,” Adrien agrees, sealing it with a brief pinky lock with Alya, Nino and Marinette.

“Does this involve protection?” Nino asks cautiously. At Adrien’s raised eyebrows, he responds with a defensive glare. “Hey, I don't wanna die, man.”

“Elaborate,” Alya says.

“As of right now, we’ve promised not to kill each other,” Nino explains. “But what happens if, say, someone corners us? Would you help me, or just leave me there?”

“That’s a good point,” Marinette muses, narrowing her eyes. “I, for one, would help you. Just until the final four or five, but yeah. I’d help.”

  
“Same,” Alya echoes.

“Great!” Adrien exclaims, and gives his best friend a fist bump. “This is getting off to a great start!”

He grins widely, shimmying in excitement. Marinette quickly excuses herself to rush home and pick up helpful supplies. The rest of them decide to wait in front of their next classroom, as Madame Bustier has let them out quite early.

Adrien can’t restrain himself from tapping his foot. This feels just like when he first became Chat Noir. He can’t wait for the action to begin.

  
Observation #1: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is hell of a good shot

Adrien finishes math and foreign studies easily, successfully defending himself from an attack by Alix. He’s riding off the high of the occasion, feeling bold and slightly cheeky.

And then it’s lunch.

Lunch, when he finds himself faced by Kim in the courtyard. Kim wears a sheepish but unrepentant smirk, leaning in slightly as he twirls a brown marker with his fingers.

‘Hello, Agreste,” Kim drawls. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Adrien stupidly sticks a hand out in defense, groaning when Kim grabs it and twists his wrist. The marker is uncapped and poised a careful inch above his palm.

“Kim-“ Adrien starts, but he doesn’t get very far before he’s interrupted by a loud voice echoing across the area.

“Stand down, Kim,” Marinette yells.

A paintball gun is leveled at Kim’s… hand, maybe? It’s hard to tell, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what color paint is in the gun. Adrien’s impressed at Marinette’s bravery and confidence, noting her tall, steady posture. But he frowns at the pointless showdown. Though he really wants to, he doesn’t fully trust that she can help. She’s at least sixty feet away - how accurate can her aim really be?

“And why should I, Marinette?” Kim asks. “He may be a model, but his looks won’t do me any good in a game like this. Besides, he’s quite the opponent. It’s my perfect chance to take him out.”

“I’m warning you.”

Kim shrugs with a careless smirk. “Sorry, Mari. Let’s just say I don’t have enough faith in your… shooting capabilities.”

Adrien can’t help but feel awed at the situation. Kim’s hand tightens around his wrist, but Adrien’s more focused on the fiery determination in Marinette’s eyes and her confident smirk. The brown marker dips ever closer to his skin. Adrien begins to resist, hoping beyond all hope he’ll break free- and then Kim’s hand is jerked away with a splash of red. Adrien pulls his own hand closer to his chest, not eager to get paint on himself, gasping in shock.

Kim huffs, cursing quietly under his breath.

Marinette lowers her arm, tilting her head to one side. “Still doubt me?”

“Well played, Dupain-Cheng,” Kim applauds reluctantly. “Well played.”

Marinette takes a mock bow, walking over to take Adrien by the hand and lead him away.

“C’mon, Agreste,” she says almost teasingly, “you’ve gotten into trouble barely an hour in. Clearly you can’t be trusted to be by yourself.”

“As you wish,” Adrien quotes.

Marinette pretends to be mad, but breaks into laughter.

Marinette’s hand is warm, Adrien thinks. It’s nice.

  
Observation #2: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is terrifying when she’s angry

Adrien doesn’t learn this fact about Marinette until the next day. She comes in with her hair done up in a braided crown, presumably to keep it out of reach by any potential murderers.

“You look nice,” Adrien compliments.

It’s a mistake. As soon as Marinette accepts it with a blush and a word of thanks, Chloe comes flouncing over, a sneer evident on her face.

“Marinette, don’t read too much into it. It’s just a pity comment-”

“Right, and you’d know because they’re all you ever get,” Alya snarks from behind them.

Chloé makes a high pitched noise of indignation, glaring at Alya. Marinette turns around to face Chloe.

“Look, Chloe, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t-”

“This is so flimsily done, too,” Chloe remarks snidely, tugging at a stray hair. Alya’s words had only egged her on, encouraging her to act up more. “Would you look at that. Your hair’s just too thin, I think. So ugly.”

Marinette jerks back, face settling into a frown. “Chloe, please don’t touch my hair.”

“Why, you don’t want me to ruin it more?” the blonde asks. “Don’t worry, Dupain-Cheng. It can’t get worse than it already is.”

Chloe laughs, smirking at Marinette. Adrien moves to intervene, but Marinette pins him in place with a look he’s never seen before. It’s annoyance, yes, but stronger, determined. Stand back, I’ve got this.

Chloe follows Marinette around, pulling at her hair until it comes loose.

“Oops,” Chloe’s giggles turn into a mocking cackle.

Marinette whips around, raven hair floating around her in a terrifying halo. Adrien, reduced to a bystander, sees her pull a marker out of her pocket, but Chloe doesn’t.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Chloe shrieks. “G-go away!”

Marinette walks towards Chloe, forcing the girl to retreat until her back slams against a classroom wall. Chloe cowers before Marinette despite the latter being shorter, and Adrien doesn’t blame her one bit. Marinette walks like an angel bringing justice, pure power and anger radiating from her. Marinette picks up one of Chloe’s hands, inspecting it indifferently. Chloe tries to pull away, but she’s mostly frozen in shock and fear.

“My, my, Chloe,” Marinette mocks, turning over the other girl’s hand. “Your hands are so rough and dry. Don’t you use lotion? Your skin is so awfully pale, too.”

Adrien hears a click as Marinette uncaps her pen, dropping the cap on the floor. Chloe doesn’t notice.

“It’s almost as if you’re...” Marinette pauses dramatically, lifting her pen to touch Chloe’s hand. “Dead.”

It takes a moment for defeat to set in, Chloe gaping down at the red dot on her palm.

“You- you-” she stammers, her expression growing angrier. “Why, you little-!”

“I didn’t know you were planning to kill her,” Adrien murmurs, awe and respect permeating the whisper.

“Oh, I wasn’t,” Marinette replies breezily, walking away to sit down. “She was just asking for it.”

A screech echoes in the classroom, but Adrien is fixated on Marinette. She folds her arms triumphantly, a glow in her eyes.

“She’s beautiful,” he whispers.

  
Observation #3: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is clever, clever enough to rival Ladybug

Lunch is a peaceful affair, with generously heaped baskets full of pastries and baked goods. Adrien doesn’t expect anything to happen. Last he checked, there were still a fair amount of people left in the game after Chloe’s downright obliteration, which means the truce between the four friends still holds.

“What colors, Alya?” Marinette asks, dumping a load of nail polish bottles onto the ground. “Orange as always?”

“You know it, girl,” Alya confirms, tapping away at her phone with one hand.

Adrien picks up a green bottle for himself, brushing on a few strokes. It doesn’t look too bad, and he continues until all ten fingernails are coated in green. With nothing to do until they dry, he watches Marinette paint Alya’s nails with the skill of an artist. Each layer is even, and any splotches that make their way onto Alya’s skin are quickly wiped off.

“Ooh, can I do designs?” Marinette asks, already picking up a black bottle of nail polish with the word ‘Cracked’ emblazoned on it.

Alya eyes the nail polish, humming. “I haven’t seen that one before. What does it do?”

“It cracks on purpose, so you can see part of the color underneath. It looks super cool.” Marinette scrunches her nose, thinking back. “Remember Halloween? I was using this.”

Alya sticks out a hand, checking to be sure the polish is dry. “Go for it.”

The nail polish is pretty. Each layer cracks a different way, making all the nails unique. But Marinette pauses when she gets to Alya’s ring finger, hand sliding towards another bottle of polish.

“You know what would be cool?” she muses, tapping a finger on her chin. “Accents.”

“Sure, whatever you want,” Alya agrees as she absentmindedly scrolls on her phone.

Grinning, Marinette picks up a bottle of red nail polish. Adrien doesn’t think much of it,  
except to agree with the color choice. It takes a second for things to click, but by then, a full coat of red is already layered on top of Alya’s nail.

Adrien gasps, attracting Alya’s attention. She immediately notices the change and its connotations.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng!” She exclaims, snatching her hand away in fake horror. “What have you done?”

“You gave me permission,” Marinette points out.

Alya hisses at her friend, narrowing her eyes. “I’m only not getting back at you because you need to finish my nails.”

Marinette sighs sadly, shaking her head. “What, does being best friends not count for anything nowadays?”

The two laugh together, and Adrien moves to sit back next to Nino.

“Damn,” he says, flopping back into the grass. “She really is something, isn’t she? Marinette, I mean.”

Nino snorts, shaking his head in exasperation. “Sure took you a long time to notice that, didn’t it?”

Adrien hums in agreement, the echo of Marinette’s laugh tinkling in his ears.

  
Observation #4: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is quick and sneaky

Adrien is walking into the Chemistry classroom when he tries to make a move. After seeing the extent of Marinette’s craftiness, he doesn’t want to take a chance. He slides his hand towards the marker in his backpack, smiling innocently down at Marinette as he walks by her desk.

“Adrien,” Marinette says, waving a hand in a gesture to stop.

“Yeah?” He asks, stopping in his tracks.

His hand drops away to his hip, a casual pose far enough from his marker to look innocuous but close enough to reach at any time. Marinette squints up at him. She stands and plants a hand on her desk as her face suddenly comes in close to his.

Adrien is so caught up staring into her eyes that he doesn’t note a small tug on his backpack strap. There’s some masked emotion in her dark eyes, a little bit of worry mixed with caution.

“Uh- something you wanted?” He chokes out, throat inexplicably dry.

Marinette stares at him for another second before settling back down into her seat with a cheeky grin. “No, I think I’m good.”

Adrien scrunches his nose, trying to dissect the expression she is making. When he finally regains his senses enough to remember his marker, his hand immediately darts to his bag. But try as he might, there is no marker there. He abandons all pretense of secrecy and rifles through his bag, gaping when he realizes that the marker is gone.

Marinette snickers, and he looks at her in suspicion.

“Looking for this?” she asks innocently, twirling his marker between her fingers. “Adrien, you really ought to be more careful with your belongings.”

Adrien recoils in shock before lunging over her desk, grabbing the marker tightly. “Give it back!”

Marinette refuses to let go, staring him straight in the eye with a cocky smirk. “Give me a reason, pretty boy.”

They both blush at her words, but Adrien recovers faster and uses her momentary lapse in concentration to push the marker so that it almost touches the skin of her arm.

Marinette yelps in surprise, and though she isn’t able to push it away, she is still able to keep it from touching her skin. “And what’s to stop you from marking me once I give it back?”

“You have my word,” Adrien replies solemnly.

Marinette tries to resist for a few more seconds, but the angle her wrist is bent at makes it hard for her, despite her strength. She narrows her eyes at him before finally letting go with a wary look. Adrien narrows his eyes right back at her before walking to his seat just before Madame Mendeleiev arrives.

Try as he might, he can’t forget Marinette’s smirk and the look of total confidence in her eyes. It’s… attractive, he realizes.

  
Observation #5: Marinette Dupain-Cheng kisses like fire, like burning embers and hot coals

The day starts out normally, with Marinette dashing into the classroom just a couple minutes before class - and the final day of the challenge - starts. Adrien tenses on instinct, days of his participation in this game making him wary of everything. He knows that his pen is safely tucked in his bag, but it's too late to try and get it now. If he bends down to get it, surely Marinette will have enough time to dart in and press a quick red dot to the back of his neck.

They’re the only two survivors left, and he can’t risk being defeated when he’s so close to victory. Rose was eliminated with Mylene’s apologetic dot to the cheek, and somehow Ivan had died at Mylene’s hands as well. His girlfriend had snuck up on him while he dozed off, and with one light brown heart on his face he had died. Max and Alix killed each other during an impressive duel. They used their markers like swords, captivating the entire courtyard with their dramatics. Juleka and Sabrina had all been slain with one quick flick of a paintbrush by Nathanael, whom Marinette had quickly killed after. Nino offered himself up to Adrien, not wanting to participate in what he said he knew would be a death match. This leaves only Adrien and Marinette.

He chances a nervous glance towards Marinette’s hands and pockets, noting a lack of red pens and all the bubbling energy fizzles slowly out of him in relief. He does, however, see a change in Marinette's face. She has light blush applied to her cheeks, dark eyeshadow and navy blue liner making her eyes pop. But that's not what surprises him the most.

No, the most noticeable feature is Marinette’s lips, colored in wine red many shades darker than her normal pink, looking luscious and perfectly kissable. Adrien tears his gaze away with a noticeable flush on his cheeks, issuing a soft murmured greeting.

To his left, Nino tries and fails to contain his smirk. Behind him, Alya doesn't even bother, snorting loud enough that he can hear it clearly. He's about to take out his tablet, ready to put the… incident behind him and start the day, when Marinette reclaims his attention.

“Adrien?” She asks.

He glances up, eyes wide in question and he only sees her blush faintly before she leans in and holy hell, Marinette Dupain-Cheng is kissing him.

He closes his eyes without really meaning to, inhaling in a breath of cinnamon and vanilla. To say that the kiss is surprising would be an understatement, but it's not uncomfortable in the least. He doesn't have any… experience with this, but this is how it’s always done in movies and animes. So Adrien leans into the kiss, angling his head ever so slightly.

Marinette lets out a muffled squeak, pulling back a bit, and Adrien is ready to stop and apologize when she kisses him again.

The first kiss was too much of a surprise for him to enjoy fully, but he's ready this time. The lipstick is strawberry flavored - artificial and sweet. Marinette’s hands have somehow found their way to Adrien’s face, cupping his cheeks. Her lips burn against his, and heat rises deep inside his chest. He subconsciously presses closer, despite the desk between them, eager to feel more of that warmth. He feels Marinette's fingers bury themselves into his hair and his fingertips brush her face, mouth slanting into a more pleasant position. Someone coughs loudly.

Adrien jolts away from Marinette, cheeks aflame and lips tingling. Madame Bustier shoots a mildly amused look at them, tapping her desk lightly.

“About time, Agreste,” Alix crows in glee, and Kim slips her some money with a grumpy look on his face.

Rose is squealing, cheeks pink but she looks happy for him. She's clutching Juleka’s arm, who flashes him a timid smile and a thumbs up. Chloé looks absolutely livid as she tosses Alix what looks like a hefty purse of coins. And Marinette… Marinette is looking away, the blush on her face red enough to rival Ladybug’s suit.

“S-sorry, Madame.” Marinette stutters a bit, though her voice is confident. “But I did get red onto his face.”

“Fair enough,” their teacher allows. “Marinette, you are the winner of our game.”

Adrien is shocked into silence. Alya taps him on the shoulder with a small mirror, and he takes it to see what everyone else could.

His hair is lightly mussed and his cheeks still red, green eyes sparkling bright with an emotion he can't quite decipher, not even on himself. But what is most noticeable are the streaks on his lips, streaks that came from Marinette’s lipstick. Red, red streaks. He has to admit, her idea isingenious and something he would never have thought of. To use a kiss as a weapon-

And then it hits him again.

He just kissed Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

“Perhaps Monsieur Agreste and Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng would like to be excused?” Madame Bustier asks lightly, a twinkle in her eye.

Marinette blushes a little, nodding before grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the room.

“Why'd you do that?” Adrien wonders, still a little breathless.

Marinette’s blush is still strong, but she smiles cheekily and winks at him.

“All’s fair in love and war, Agreste.”

 

((Read it on tumblr/give it notes [here!!](https://paladin-of-fandoms.tumblr.com/private/168736550091/tumblr_p18nulDng01w4iljr)))

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and reviews/constructive criticism are greatly appreciated! I hope all of you liked it :D
> 
> Edit: Thanks to lalunaunita for being an awesome beta!!


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